At AuthorsWiki, we are delighted to connect with Raine Fielder, an author from West Virginia whose distinctive voice, creative energy, and deeply personal approach to storytelling shine through in her latest work, Skin Deep. With a writing journey that began in childhood, Raine has continued to explore storytelling across poetry, short fiction, novels, song lyrics, and more.
Raised in a small town, Raine began writing poetry at the age of eleven. Since then, her work has appeared in Thought Catalog, Vocal, Siren Song Press, For Page and Screen, and The Anti-Misogyny Club. Three of her short stories were selected as “Top Stories” by Vocal, and she has also received two honorable mentions. Her creative journey has ultimately led her to write ten books.
Raine holds a certificate in Literature with a focus on Shakespeare from Harvard University. Beyond writing, she has worked as a barista, hosts a podcast focused on media and storytelling, and finds inspiration in television, film, books, and everyday experiences.
In this conversation with AuthorsWiki, Raine opens up about discovering her voice as a writer, balancing creativity with family and everyday responsibilities, overcoming self-doubt, and the deeply personal experiences that have shaped her work. She also discusses her upcoming projects, her favorite authors, and why writing has become much more than a career—it has become an essential part of who she is.
AuthorsWiki: Apart from writing, what do you do professionally?
Raine Fielder: For twelve years, I worked as a barista. Working at a coffee shop in a small town was relatively quiet, and it gave me enough time and mental space to work on my writing career. Then COVID hit, and I became jobless. Thankfully, with privileges that I never take lightly, I was able to afford a tiny house on my parents’ property, where they helped me get back on my feet. Now, I have a supportive husband, and I manage two houses, a writing career, two dogs, and a step-cat. Life is certainly busy, but I’m grateful for where I am.
AuthorsWiki: Tell us something about your first book.
Raine Fielder: The first book I finished and self-published actually began when I was seventeen. I wrote a lot as a child and teenager, constantly moving between singing, dancing, drawing, and writing. Back then, I wrote more than seventy pages by hand, front and back. I can’t imagine doing that now with the convenience of laptops!
I tried different things in life, but writing and art eventually found their way back to me. I polished what I had written years earlier and finally finished the book. I’m still embarrassed by that little book, but I’m equally proud of it. It represents where my writing journey began.
AuthorsWiki: Would you like to tell us about your published books?
Raine Fielder: Absolutely. After my first book, I became interested in online writing and started working on the side, while I was still a barista, for a website that paid very little for reads. I wrote a few short stories, and then more and more ideas started coming to me. It was almost as if a faucet I had shut off had suddenly sprung open. Once I tapped into that spring, ideas began flowing faster than I could keep up with them.
I’m slowly chasing down each idea I’ve had, along with all the new ones that continue to come along. The more you write, the more naturally it comes, almost like exercising a muscle. I love every book I’ve written because each one feels deeply personal to me. I cry when I have to hurt my characters, and sometimes I even cry when I have to say goodbye to them at the end of a story. I know these people now. I created them.
AuthorsWiki: Where did you find the inspiration to publish your work?
Raine Fielder: I probably wouldn’t have taken the chance to share my work if it weren’t for a couple of writer friends I’ve had. They shared their own work and received mostly positive feedback, along with some negative comments. But I knew their work was good. Seeing people I knew were objectively talented receive criticism gave me an important realization: criticism doesn’t always match reality.
That was an epiphany for me. It helped me understand that negative feedback doesn’t necessarily mean your work is bad, and I could move forward without allowing criticism to stop me.
AuthorsWiki: How do you manage your time while writing a book?
Raine Fielder: This is probably the hardest part because I’m managing two houses, a marriage, and the needs of an aging parent. My dad was sick for a long time before he passed away, and in some ways, those hardships have also helped shape my writing. When I need an outlet, I write my sadness. When I need an escape, I write joy for myself.
As for finding the time, I’ve learned that one hour can be more than enough to reach a reasonable word count for the day if you really push yourself. Of course, that’s the difficult part—pushing yourself when you don’t feel like pushing. I much prefer those days when I enter a true flow state. If every day were a flow-state day, I could probably write a novel in the back of a pickup truck on the freeway!
AuthorsWiki: What is your favorite writing method—the one through which you write the most?
Raine Fielder: It really depends on the genre. Most of my short stories are literally written in one sitting. I’ve gone from an initial idea to a fully edited and posted piece in the span of six hours before.
For novels with complex storylines, however, I’ve learned that an outline is absolutely necessary. When I’m writing romance, I tend to let the feelings and emotional direction guide the story more than anything else.
AuthorsWiki: When did you start writing, and how did your interest in writing begin?
Raine Fielder: I began writing in grade school. I usually say seventh grade because that was when I first wrote a real, thought-out poem that actually looked like a poem. But I was always writing down ideas, sometimes incredibly silly ones, even as a child.
In sixth grade, I was given an assignment to write a story. My teacher called my mom and told her that she thought I “really had talent” for writing stories. And, no joke, at the time I thought she had only said that out of pity because the story was about my deceased aunt. I had imposter syndrome even back then.
AuthorsWiki: Is there any special achievement in your life that you would like to share with our readers?
Raine Fielder: I’ve been through a lot, and those experiences are woven into much of my work. But one thing I’ve recently realized about myself is that, despite coming from a long line shaped by a cycle of abuse, I was the one who didn’t repeat it. I stopped a generational curse in its tracks, and I will never not be proud of that. No one can take that achievement away from me.
AuthorsWiki: Are you planning to write or publish more books in the future?
Raine Fielder: I’m currently writing the fourth book in my Invictus series, called Vixen, and I have so many more ideas for the future. I’ve also just started a whodunit short-story series called Wren Alden Mysteries. I’m very excited to keep writing and see where all these stories take me.
AuthorsWiki: What message would you like to give to your readers and fans?
Raine Fielder: Absolutely. There are so many things I would love to talk about with my readers. First of all, I’m a Christian, so Jesus loves you. I know that may turn some people off, but that’s who I am, and it’s important to me. I’m not trying to push my beliefs on anyone because I don’t like when people are pushy about their beliefs either. But even if you don’t believe the same things I do, please know that I love you anyway.
I believe all people are equal and deserve dignity and respect. No matter what you’re going through, there are people who care about you. And please read and like my books. Please! I would love to talk about them with anyone, so never feel like you’re bothering me if you want to discuss my writing. I genuinely love doing that.
AuthorsWiki: Every writer has someone who inspires them. Do you have an ideal writer, and what are some of your favorite books that you always want to read?
Raine Fielder: I’m not sure I have what I would call an “ideal” writer. You have the greats like Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, and Edgar Allan Poe, but none of them even wrote in exactly the same medium. Poe wrote poetry and short stories, with The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket being his only novel. Dickens was wonderfully whimsical and wordy, and it worked perfectly for him. Shakespeare wrote plays and sonnets. So how do you compare people who are doing completely different things?
And, of course, I just realized that all three are men. We can’t forget Mary Shelley, the Brontë sisters, and the many other incredible female authors throughout literary history. The word “ideal” seems too vague when talking about writers. I want to write like the best version of myself. I don’t want to sound like someone else, because otherwise, what would be my purpose?
I do love reading all of the aforementioned writers, as well as Stephen King. Anne Rice was also a major influence on me. My favorite modern author is Gregory Maguire. Wicked is my all-time favorite fictional book and series. The Wicked Years books and their continuations are my Lord of the Rings.
AuthorsWiki: Apart from writing, what other hobbies do you enjoy in your free time?
Raine Fielder: I actually host a podcast, although I haven’t had time to update it in a few months. I analyze media—television, movies, and other forms of storytelling.
I also enjoy watching shows. I grew up in the nineties, when saying you watched a lot of television meant something very different. My generation sometimes treated it as an insult, but the rise of prestige television has changed that for many people.
For me, storytelling in any form is research and learning. I rarely just turn my brain off and watch something. My brain is very active, and that’s my comfort zone. Doing puzzles, on the other hand, helps me relax.
AuthorsWiki: Would you like to remain in the writing world in the future as well?
Raine Fielder: Being a writer is not just something I do. It’s a part of my identity. So yes, I believe I will always be writing. Even if I won the lottery—which I don’t play—I would still write because writing is like breathing to me. At this point, I couldn’t not do it. It’s my calling.
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It was a pleasure conversion with Raine Fielder, whose journey and reflections offer a meaningful glimpse into the creative life of a writer. We sincerely thank them for sharing their time and wisdom with the AuthorsWiki community.
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